Does anyone have any positive or negative comments about this gun? A friend of mine just bought one. I was rather impressed by how big it felt in my hand for a relatively small package. I have never been a big Taurus fan, but if it shoots half as good as it feels in my hand I may just have to get one.
Taurus PT-111 Comments
- Thread starter henryb
- Start date
I have one. Heavy trigger pull. Surprisingly, however, it is a great 'point shooter' and accuracy is fine for a stubby dao w/heavy trigger. 100% reliable. It is my 'close to hand' firearm when being a couch potato and my 'carry' gun for short runs to the store, etc. I like it.
Walt Sherrill
New member
Both the PT-111 and the very similar Kel-Tec P-11 take some getting used to.
Both are small, easily concealed, effective weapons, good for point-shooting, but neither (while accurate) are easy to shoot well at a distance, rapidly.
The PT-111 is the harder of the two to strip and clean. Both have good warranties.
Neither is a good first gun, and both will take a lot of practice -- if you truly hope to be effective with one.
Both are small, easily concealed, effective weapons, good for point-shooting, but neither (while accurate) are easy to shoot well at a distance, rapidly.
The PT-111 is the harder of the two to strip and clean. Both have good warranties.
Neither is a good first gun, and both will take a lot of practice -- if you truly hope to be effective with one.
Fired it at the Taurus Family Shooting Expo several months ago when Taurus came to my home town ...<UL TYPE=SQUARE> <LI> Like the heavy trigger pull similar to that of a DA revolver but it felt uneven and not smooth.
<LI> Like the fact that it's a true DAO pistol with a repeat striker capability -- Glock, Kahr, etc., do NOT have a repeat striker capability. I always felt that this is an important feature because in a stressful situation your body will repeat basic movements that it is doing before the mind and training have a chance to kick in. What I mean by this is that if you are pulling the trigger and firing several shots (such as maybe against a wild dog that's hard to hit -- or even in a shoot out for that matter) and the first strike on the primer doesn't set it off; you will, in all likelihood pull that trigger again before your brain realize that it didn't fire. If it was a light tap and the gun has a repeat striker capability, a second hit MIGHT set it off if the gun has a repeat striker capability. And if it doesn't set the round off, then no harm was done in giving the primer a second whack.
<LI> While the gun is small (I would rake it as being in-between a compact and a pocket gun with regards to it's size), I found the gun not to be the proper size for concealed carry as the double stack magazine made the grip too thick and, at least for me, the width was more of a problem then the length as far as concealment is concerned. What I mean by this is that I have a S&W3913 which is a single stack and therefore thinner. Even though the PT-111 is almost an inch shorter, it's thickness makes it hard for me to conceal.
<LI> Like the fact that it has an external hammer (unlike Glocks, Kahrs, etc.; which have internal strikers) which, while external, is still concealed.
<LI> Also like the fact that it has a manual external safety.</UL>While there were more things about the gun that I liked then I disliked, there were still too many negatives things about it for me to buy one.
I would recommend that you go down my list and see how YOU feel about the items that I have listed because a feature that I like you may dislike and vice versa (for example, I like the manual safety while you may dislike that on a DAO pistol, etc.).
If you like what you see, then this might be the gun for you. Regards,
FUD
Share what you know & learn what you don't
<LI> Like the fact that it's a true DAO pistol with a repeat striker capability -- Glock, Kahr, etc., do NOT have a repeat striker capability. I always felt that this is an important feature because in a stressful situation your body will repeat basic movements that it is doing before the mind and training have a chance to kick in. What I mean by this is that if you are pulling the trigger and firing several shots (such as maybe against a wild dog that's hard to hit -- or even in a shoot out for that matter) and the first strike on the primer doesn't set it off; you will, in all likelihood pull that trigger again before your brain realize that it didn't fire. If it was a light tap and the gun has a repeat striker capability, a second hit MIGHT set it off if the gun has a repeat striker capability. And if it doesn't set the round off, then no harm was done in giving the primer a second whack.
<LI> While the gun is small (I would rake it as being in-between a compact and a pocket gun with regards to it's size), I found the gun not to be the proper size for concealed carry as the double stack magazine made the grip too thick and, at least for me, the width was more of a problem then the length as far as concealment is concerned. What I mean by this is that I have a S&W3913 which is a single stack and therefore thinner. Even though the PT-111 is almost an inch shorter, it's thickness makes it hard for me to conceal.
<LI> Like the fact that it has an external hammer (unlike Glocks, Kahrs, etc.; which have internal strikers) which, while external, is still concealed.
<LI> Also like the fact that it has a manual external safety.</UL>While there were more things about the gun that I liked then I disliked, there were still too many negatives things about it for me to buy one.
I would recommend that you go down my list and see how YOU feel about the items that I have listed because a feature that I like you may dislike and vice versa (for example, I like the manual safety while you may dislike that on a DAO pistol, etc.).
If you like what you see, then this might be the gun for you. Regards,
FUD
Henryb,
I had a PT-111 for a short while. It (like every other striker fired pistol I've ever owned) broke after about 300 or 400 rounds which required sending it to Taurus for repair. When I got it back I traded it for a Kel-Tec P-11 at a gun show.
The Taurus is a bit more accurate (but not much) then the Kel-Tec. Trigger pull on the Kel-Tec is, while still pretty stiff, smoother which makes shooting easier. Bonus with the Kel-Tec is you can use S&W pre-ban model 59 standard capacity magazines if you want.
Personally, I've had it with striker fired pistols. This one item has kept me from buying a Glock. To Glock's credit, you don't hear of problems in this area but with my luck I would get the first one.
Hope this helps.
Joe/Ga
I had a PT-111 for a short while. It (like every other striker fired pistol I've ever owned) broke after about 300 or 400 rounds which required sending it to Taurus for repair. When I got it back I traded it for a Kel-Tec P-11 at a gun show.
The Taurus is a bit more accurate (but not much) then the Kel-Tec. Trigger pull on the Kel-Tec is, while still pretty stiff, smoother which makes shooting easier. Bonus with the Kel-Tec is you can use S&W pre-ban model 59 standard capacity magazines if you want.
Personally, I've had it with striker fired pistols. This one item has kept me from buying a Glock. To Glock's credit, you don't hear of problems in this area but with my luck I would get the first one.
Hope this helps.
Joe/Ga
I've owned one and the trigger pull felt like I was shooting a cheap staple gun. It was also a pain to field strip/reassemble and last of all it was still a Taurus.
I'm not a millionaire by any means, but I still have the occasional luxury of being able to buy a better quality firearm like a Glock, Sig, Beretta, Kahr (to name a few that have similar sized offerings to the PT-111).
I'd say save your 250-300 and put it down on something "better".
I'm not a millionaire by any means, but I still have the occasional luxury of being able to buy a better quality firearm like a Glock, Sig, Beretta, Kahr (to name a few that have similar sized offerings to the PT-111).
I'd say save your 250-300 and put it down on something "better".